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Fullbody Workouts 4 Days a Week? Is This Crazy?

I might be crazy, but I like a challenge. And creating this workout was a challenge.

A follower on my YouTube channel (subscribe here) asked me if it was possible to perform a fullbody workout four days per week. Of course! Anything is possible. As long as you balance volume, intensity, and frequency - anything is possible.

So I did just that.

We already know the frequency: Four fullbody workouts per week. The only variables we need to adjust are volume and intensity.

Intensity. Intensity is weight relative to your one rep max. It is also the overall impact and stress an exercise places upon a muscle and joints. So if you bench press 250 pounds, using a weight of 220 pounds is more intense than repping out with 175 pounds. Get it? Good.

An isolation or machine exercise is also less intense than a compound movement. It feels easier, and is generally more forgiving on your joints and tendons.

Training each muscle group four times per week is possible, but I believe it's in our best interest to cycle intensity. Here are the two workout options I am going to outline:

Workout #1 - Heavy/Light (HL)

Workout #2 - Heavy/Light/Moderate (HLM)

Volume. When I consider volume, I look at overall weekly volume. Let's say you perform 12 sets for chest one day a week on a body part split. Here is a volume break down for various frequency approaches:

Upper/Lower Split - Target chest twice a week using 6 total sets per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week.

Fullbody Split - Target chest three times a week using 4 total sets per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week.

Fullbody Split - Target chest three times a week using 4 total sets per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week.

So if we are to attempt four fullbody workouts per week, the best plan of attack is to use only 3 sets per major muscle group per session. This yields 12 total working sets per week. For minor muscle groups I am going to aim for eight total sets per week, or two sets per session.

Heavy/Light 4 Day Fullbody Workout

Here is a sample schedule:

Day 1 - Workout A

Day 2 - Workout B

Day 3 - Off

Day 4 - Workout C

Day 5 - Workout D

Day 6 - Off

Day 7 - Off

For major muscle groups we will rotate between heavy and light work. So you will perform 6 heavier sets per week and 6 lighter sets per week.

Heavy sets will involve compound movements in the 5 to 10 rep range. Lighter sets will involve bodyweight or isolation-style movements in the 10 to 15 rep range.

Minor muscle groups will use more of a moderate/light approach. We will rotate between moderately taxing movements using about 10 reps per set, to lighter isolation-style movements using about 15 reps per set.

Workout a

Full Body Workout

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Squats - Heavy

3

5 to 8

Lat Pull Downs - Light

3

10 to 15

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - Heavy

3

10

Side Lateral Raise - Light

3

10 to 15

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts - Moderate

2

10

Cable Triceps Extensions - Light

2

12 to 15

EZ Bar Curls - Moderate

2

10 to 12

Seated Calf Raise - Light

2

15

Workout B

Full Body Workout

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Leg Extensions - Light

3

10 to 15

Dumbbell Rows - Heavy

3

10

Low Cable Crossovers - Light

3

10 to 15

Military Press - Heavy

3

5 to 8

Leg Curls - Light

2

12 to 15

Lying Triceps Extensions - Moderate

2

10 to 12

Concentration Curls - Light

2

12 to 15

Ab Wheel Roll Outs - Light

2

10 to 15

Workout C

Full Body Workout

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Bench Press - Heavy

3

5 to 8

Seated Cable Rows - Light

3

10 to 15

Leg Press - Heavy

3

10 to 12

Upright Rows - Light

3

10 to 15

Glute/Ham Raise - Moderate

2

10 to 15

Dumbbell Skullcrushers - Light

2

12 to 15

Seated Dumbbell Curls - Moderate

2

10 to 12

Standing Calf Raise - Light

2

15

Workout D

Full Body Workout

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Deadlifts - Heavy

3

5

Hack Squats - Moderate

3

15

Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press - Heavy

3

10

Push Ups - Light

3

15

Single Leg Curls - Light

2

12 to 15

Close Grip Bench Press - Moderate

2

10

Seated Cable Curls - Light

2

12 to 15

Plank - Light

2

60-120 sec

Heavy/Light/Moderate 4 Day Fullbody Workout

Here is a sample schedule:

Day 1 - Workout A

Day 2 - Workout B

Day 3 - Off

Day 4 - Workout C

Day 5 - Workout D

Day 6 - Off

Day 7 - Off

For major muscle groups we will rotate between heavy and light/moderate work. So you will perform 6 heavier sets per week, 3 moderate sets, and 3 lighter sets per week.

Minor muscle groups will use more of a moderate/light approach. We will rotate between moderately taxing movements using about 10 reps per set, to lighter isolation-style movements using about 15 reps per set.